by Helen Scott
“Jeebus, y'all always spook me with that trick.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
Tony hefted himself out of the chair while Thad made his way into the office. Tony had put on weight, which was not good for a man who was already a hair's breath away from a heart attack.
“Now, I didn’t tell Cin nothin’ about you, so don’t go jumpin’ down my neck if you start showin’ off about magic, siren.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. Where is this Cin person?”
“This way.”
Thad slid his glasses on as Tony led them through the back corridor of the shop, which was surprisingly calming in comparison to the front of the store. The creamy walls and diffuse lights left him feeling like he should be meditating, not about to work on a missing person’s case.
They passed the benches and chairs that were used for clients getting tattoos or piercings. As Tony moved to the side, Thad saw a mass of flowing hair. The blues, greens, and purples were all interwoven, so it looked like the sea during a spectacular sunset.
The woman’s eyes were closed, and Thad’s eyes trailed down her body as Tony stepped further to the side. Her lips were the color of ripe plums, making him want to bite them to see if they were as juicy as the fruit they reminded him of. Thad shook his head at the aberrant thought. He hadn’t had a woman in years, and even then there was no kissing involved. He never let someone that close to his face.
Trying to look away, to admire the art on the walls that offered designs for customers to choose from, his eyes involuntarily slid back to her sleeping form. It was the art on her skin that he wanted to examine, closely if possible. The black lace tank top she was wearing, which hinted at the bra underneath, was tucked into her ripped jeans. Her shapely form filled out her clothes in a way that stirred Thad’s long-dormant desire.
She was no waif that he would worry about breaking when he bedded her. Where were these thoughts coming from? Thad berated himself. Control—that was how he managed everything else. That was how he would manage this.
“Cin?” Tony said softly while shaking her shoulder.
“Hmm,” Cin’s eyes cracked open and then popped wide. “Holy shit, I fell asleep? I fell asleep while Aster’s missing, seriously? What’s wrong with me?” Cin bolted upright.
Thad hadn’t realized how tall she was when she was lying down, but now that she was upright, she could almost look him in the eyes. He always hated looking down at women. The smell of cigarette smoke and possibly vomit wafted toward him, making him wonder what Cin had been doing before this.
“Calm down. Ya grabbed a little shut eye is all. Here now, this is Thad. He’s gonna help ya find Aster.”
Cin glanced at him, and her hazel eyes saw right into his soul, or at least that was what it felt like. His heart clenched under her gaze.
“Hi, Cin is it? I’m Thad.”
“Technically it’s Hyacinth, but that never really seemed to fit me, so it got shortened to Cin. It’s nice to meet you, Thad.”
“Technically it’s Thaddeus, but that didn’t fit me either.” He parroted her line back to her, earning a smile, which made his heart beat a staccato rhythm. His heart definitely should not be doing that. The damn thing had been a block of ice for everyone except his brothers and future sister-in-law, Ellie, for as long as he could remember.
Cin extended her hand, and Thad had no choice but to shake it unless he wanted to appear rude. He prayed to the gods that he didn’t have a vision at their touch. A knowing or a sensation of what the person’s future held was fine, but a full vision would have him on his ass and her thinking he was crazy. When nothing came as he clasped her hand, he breathed a sigh of relief. Usually, the first time he touched someone, it sparked either a vision or a knowing. She was blank, making him wonder what the fates were up to.
Cin’s hand tingled as Thad shook it, a sensation that spread throughout her entire body as he held on for a moment. The man who stood before her right now was beautiful, and also slightly creepy. He was more ripped than Rico, and that was saying something, considering Rico's dream was to become a professional body builder. Thad wore black glasses with dark red lenses that all but obscured his eyes from view. Cin couldn’t help but wonder what color his eyes were. His blond hair was tied back in a short ponytail, but she could tell that if it wasn’t tied back, it would be curly. The biggest surprise was the tattoos she could see peeking out of his T-shirt. Some of them looked very old, almost like they were done before tattoo machines were invented. He could just be a traditionalist, though, Cin reminded herself.
“Tell me what happened,” Thad said. His voice had a melodic quality to it as well as the faintest accent.
“I found this here photo on the printer after Cin left for the day. I called her, and she came back to take a look at it,” Tony said, filling him in succinctly.
“It’s Aster, my sister. She’s tied to the chair.” Cin ran her hand through her hair again, and the cigarette smell came back. “Sorry I smell like the bar.” She felt more than a little self-conscious next to this gorgeous male specimen. While she was not usually self-conscious, there was something a little unnerving about not being able to see his eyes. “Aster has some medical issues that need attention if they crop up, and whoever the two guys standing in the room with her are, they sure as hell don’t look equipped to deal with it.”
“What are her issues, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“They aren't mine to discuss. It’s not something that’s constant, but it happens randomly.”
“Shouldn’t she be in some kind of hospital, then?” Thad asked. Cin could see his eyebrows draw together slightly over the rim of his glasses as a fierce protectiveness swept through her.
“We know how to take care of her. A hospital would poke and prod her all the time, without being able to solve anything.”
“I have some resources I can use to try and track her down, if you want?” Thad raised an eyebrow at her in question.
“That would be amazing. What do you need? Can I help?” The adrenaline pumped through her again.
“I need a photo of her and something that belonged to her.”
“Sure, her place is on the other side of the city, but I can drive over there now.”
“I can come with, if you’re okay with that. It would make it easier to just grab everything right now, and then I can get started.”
“Uh, sure. My car's a mess, though.”
“No problem.”
Cin shot a thankful smile to her boss as she headed out into the night with Thad, the cool air making her shiver a little as they walked to her car.
“Feel free to move anything that’s in your way.”
Cin slid into the driver's seat and hastily threw some books and CDs in the back. Thad looked so enormous in her tiny car that she had to stifle a chuckle. His head grazed the roof, and even though he pushed the seat all the way back, his legs still looked cramped in the foot well.
“We could get a cab, if you’d prefer?” Cin said with a big grin on her face.
“No, I’m okay.” Thad’s cheeks were slightly red, and he went to run his fingers through his hair only to find them tangled because of the ponytail. As they drove, Cin felt awkward sitting in silence.
“So, who does your work?” She asked about the one thing she knew they had in common.
“My work?”
“Your tattoos.” Thad looked at her for a moment, so she added, “I could see them around the neck and sleeves of your T-shirt.”
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Thad said, “Oh, Tony does, or at least he’s done the recent stuff.”
“Really? I’ve never seen you at the shop.”
“He does private appointments for me and my brothers when we need to get stuff done.”
“Well, aren't you special?” She winked at him and thought she saw the flicker of a smile on his face.
“How old is your sister?” Thad asked, the question hitting Cin like a su
cker punch to the gut.
“She’s turning twenty-eight this year.”
“She looked younger in the photo.”
“Yeah, she’s got that baby face goin’ on.”
“You two are close, I take it?”
“Yeah, I can’t remember anything from the early years of my life. It’s weird, I know. The first thing I remember is my mom coming home with her. I’ve helped look after her ever since.” Cin’s throat closed up as she spoke.
“Sorry, it’s insensitive of me to be asking about her while you’re so worried.”
Cin cleared her throat. “It’s okay. How old are your brothers?”
“I have one older and two younger brothers.” Cin noticed that he didn’t actually answer her question. Maybe he was one of those guys who couldn’t admit they were over thirty.
“What do you do?”
“I, uh, mainly do contract work dealing with antiques.”
“Wow, I bet that’s interesting!” Cin had always loved history, but had a lousy memory for dates.
Thad adjusted his position in the seat, trying to get comfortable. Cin caught the smell of saltwater and beach from him, as well as something very male. Her brain perked up and was very interested in this man sitting next to her. She shook the thoughts of him from her head and focused on the remainder of the drive.
Thad was ready to jump out of the car when they arrived at Aster’s apartment. His brain was not willing to give up on this reaction he had to Cin. He had tried not to stare at her during the drive, but the moonlight made her skin glow, which in turn made her tattoos even more pronounced. A part of his brain craved knowing more about her and why she had chosen those specific tattoos. His fingers buzzed with the desire to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. He banished the thoughts from his head and tried to extract himself from the car. Cin wasn’t that much shorter than him, so how did she fit in the damned thing so easily, where as he felt like he’d been shoved into a sardine can?
“Sorry my car's teensy.”
“It’s okay,” Thad said, finally removing himself from the vehicle.
“You know, if you weren’t built like a Greek god, then you’d fit just fine,” Cin said, her mouth quirking up on one side. Thad’s heart jumped around in his chest. There was no way she could know how close to the truth she was.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Thad said as he followed her into the building.
It smelled of fish and wet dog. Thad tried to breathe through his mouth to avoid the smell, but then he could taste it. There were stains on the walls and the carpet. The place wasn’t a dump, but it wasn’t well cared for, either.
He heard the jangle of keys and almost ran into Cin as she stopped at a door in front of him. As it was, he was close enough to smell her, getting past the cigarette smell. The scent of flowers drifted to him, combined with something very feminine, popping all the thoughts he’d been trying to avoid back into his head.
“So here we are,” Cin said, closing the door behind them as they entered Aster’s apartment. The room was brightly decorated with greens and yellows. Thad followed Cin behind a screened area and discovered this was the bedroom area. The bed was messy, with the covers all mussed up and clothes thrown haphazardly about all around it. The wall behind was decorated with a tapestry that reminded Thad of times long since past when people hung material on the walls to keep their home warm.
“Here's a photo of the two of us. Will that work?” Cin asked, bringing him out of his reverie.
Thad looked at the photo. “Yeah, that’s good.” He knew the photo was of the two of them, and Aster looked like a nice girl, but it was Cin’s expression in the photo that tugged at his heart. It was pure joy.
“Where was this taken?”
“Oh, we were on vacation at the Outer Banks. The motel was crap, but the beach was close, and that was all we needed.”
Thad stared at the photo. Cin’s hair was black, or a very dark brown, and her hazel eyes looked even brighter with the dark hair framing her face. Thad wanted to make her smile like that. No. No, he didn’t. He forced his eyes away from the photo and watched as Cin looked around the apartment for something personal but not too personal.
The walls of the apartment were cluttered with images, most of which depicted nature scenes along with what he assumed was friends and family. His eyes jumped from photo to photo latching on to the images that contained Cin.
One caught his interest more than the others. Cin and Aster were standing to either side of a woman with long blonde hair and deep brown eyes. They were all wearing crowns made out of flowers, which made them all look slightly otherworldly given the fact that they were all beautiful. His eyes tried to take in every detail. Something nudged in his mind that was familiar, but he couldn’t place it right now.
“Hey, Cin, who's this?” he asked over his shoulder.
He felt Cin come up beside him; his body was so attuned to hers.
“Oh, that’s our mom, Julie. We had gone to this rib festival, and there was a concert at the end of the day. I don’t remember who played, but my mom had been a fan of theirs back in the day. She had a blast. We all did.” Cin radiated contentment when she spoke of the memory. It was touching to see.
“She looks way too young to be your mom.”
“Are you saying I look old?” Cin acted offended. But there was something about the way her eyebrow arched and the slight twitch of her mouth that let Thad know she wasn’t serious.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Thad said before he could second-guess himself. The words shocked him as they came out of his mouth. He never teased anyone.
“Good to know you think I’m a spinster.”
“I think no such thing.”
Cin looked at this strange man. She was momentarily infuriated by the fact that she couldn’t see his eyes, but there was something in his voice that spoke of long passionate nights together, making her body tighten and her breath come a little faster.
“Here's her favorite book. Will that work? Or do you need her hairbrush for DNA stuff?” Cin said, trying to regain control of her body. She held out a copy of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, the royal blue cover as familiar under her fingertips as her tattoo machine. She and Aster were both big fans of Claire and Jamie.
“How about I take both?”
“Sure. Whatever you want. I just need to find her.” Cin turned to go and get Aster’s hairbrush from the small bathroom.
“We’ll find her no matter what. I promise,” Thad said from behind her. The sincerity in those words made her tear up. She only just met the man and he was ready and willing to do whatever it took to find her sister.
She turned back and tried to banish the tears from her eyes, but her throat stung with the effort. “Here's the hairbrush.” She handed him the bristle brush. “Why are you helping me?” Cin asked, barely keeping her tears in check as she looked up at him.
“You’re a friend of Tony’s and you need help. If someone genuinely needs help, I’m not in the habit of turning them away. Besides, I have some free time right now.” Thad reached his hand up, and for a moment, Cin thought he was going to brush away the tear that was trailing down her cheek, but his hand dropped before it ever reached her face.
“Well,” she said, clearing her throat again, “thank you for doing this. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise.”
“I hope I can help.” Thad gave her a little smile, and Cin wondered for a brief moment what he would look like if he were truly happy.
“I should get going.”
“Do you need me to drive you back?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll make my own way.” Thad nodded at her and walked out, softly shutting the door behind him.
For a moment, Cin didn’t know what to do, so she stood there until her brain clicked back on. She had no way of getting in touch with him. The thought ran across her mind like an Amber Alert text. She turned and raced out the door, down the hallway, and out into
the parking lot, but he was gone. Poof. He seemed to vanish.
Chapter 3
Thad had never been more grateful to be home. His heart beat erratically in his chest, and his mind couldn’t get the image of Cin with a single tear rolling down her cheek out of his mind. His grip on the photo tightened, and he heard the glass crack. Now he’d broken the stuff she gave him. He needed to get it together.
Empting the glass into the trash in his kitchen, he focused on the pale blue walls to calm down. When his breathing slowed and he no longer had a death grip on the photo, Thad grabbed the midnight blue bowl he regularly used for scrying, or trying to find something or someone who was missing.
He sat down at the breakfast bar and focused on the picture of Aster, allowing the meditative trance to take him over. He tried to hold the vision of her face in his mind as he stared into the bowl, focusing on her current location. The water rippled and waved like something had fallen into it.
Frustrated, Thad waited for the water to still and refocused, willing Aster’s location to be revealed to him. Just as he felt the connection catch, the water rippled again. He wanted to growl in frustration. Thad couldn’t remember the last time his emotions had run so wild.
Breathing and allowing himself to fall into an even deeper meditative state, he tried to call up the image of Aster in his mind. This time the connection caught and pulled him along faster and stronger than any connection he’d made when scrying before.
The vision that appeared to him, though, was not what he had been searching for. Cin slept on Aster’s bed. Thad’s subconscious must have summoned her instead of Aster. He tried to look away, to release the vision, but the connection was too strong. If the vision wouldn't let him go, then he knew there must be something he was meant to see here.
Cin twisted and turned in her sleep, revealing the tank top and boxers she had on as the sheet tangled between her legs. Thad really didn’t want to see this. All he wanted was to help; now he felt like a Peeping Tom. She was having an intense dream, that much was clear. Her face was screwed up, but Thad couldn’t tell whether it was in pleasure or pain.